Coming Home
by crimsonstarr
Summary: After a disillusioned Meryl deals with a failed marriage, her thoughts turn to a former love.


_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Metal Gear series, Hideo Kojima does. I am just a loyal fan. With that, I hope you enjoy my story._

She sat in the corner of her bedroom, arms around her knees. This was not the way things were meant to be. Though the room was dark, she could still make out the outline of the opened dresser drawers. They were empty, just like half of the closet. When someone married you, wasn't that supposed to be for life? Weren't you supposed to be that person's only one? The young woman gave an audible sigh and wiped away the lone tear that crept down her cheek. She had been deceived and her sadness quickly gave way to anger.

She knew something was up when he came home smelling like strange perfume. He started staying out later and later, leaving her to sleep alone many times. Even when he had been home, mysterious phone calls would cause him to leave in the middle of dinner. It came to the point that she could no longer stand the lies. She followed him one night when he went out. His destination was to a bar where he met up with a woman that she had never seen before. He fondled her openly, kissed her in a way that he no longer kissed her. As enraged as she was, she did not say anything. He left with that woman and went with her to an apartment complex not far from the bar. She returned to her apartment and slammed the door. What was she going to do? A part of her was just stunned. She knew something was going on but she hadn't allowed herself to believe it. She made her way to the couch and sat down. When he came home, she would be waiting.

Johnny came in a few hours later. Meryl looked up at him, raging inside. While she had waited for him to arrive, she made the decision that he was going to be leaving. She was done. Nothing he could say was going to sway her. Johnny looked a little perplexed to see her sitting there, staring at him. "You need to pack your things," Meryl said to him, deathly calm. "I'm sorry?" he replied, looking even more confused. "Feel free to stay with your whore, but you sure as hell will not be staying in my home or in my bed any longer," she said. "Baby, what are you talk—" he started, but she cut him off by holding up a hand. "I saw you at the bar with her, Johnny. I'm done. Get your things and leave." Realizing that he had been caught and that she was not changing her mind, he resigned himself to packing his things.

Now, Meryl sat alone in the corner, wondering what had gone wrong. How could she have been so wrong about the man she married? They had not even been together for a year. Their anniversary was approaching in about two months and now she knew it would never come.

She took a moment to glance out of the window. It was snowing outside. She always loved the snow… but it made her think of _him_. Not Johnny, but of a love that still burned in her heart. Though she had loved Johnny, it was nothing compared to what she felt for this man. Marrying Johnny had been more out of a desire for a so-called normal life than passionate love. Even as she had taken her vows, her mind had drifted to him. Meryl knew this was terrible. However, it is hard to put out of your mind the first person who ever took your breath away and touched your soul in ways that you never knew was possible. The last time she saw him, he had looked so different. He had aged so dramatically since they had last parted ways. Meryl was so scared that she would be burned again that she pushed him away. She didn't know what he was doing right now, but she knew that she wanted to find out.

With that, Meryl picked up the phone and called the only person who would know where she could find the man she was looking for. "Otacon? Yeah, it's Meryl… By any chance do you know where Snake is right now?... Uh-huh… Yeah… Alright, I'm going to fly out tomorrow. Do not tell him I am coming." She hung up the phone, and went to book a flight to Alaska. Funny, she thought, I should have known that is where he would have gone.


End file.
